<Source: Newsis>

“Physical and verbal abuse were taken for granted. The team was a kingdom for the coach and the captain.”

Former teammates of the late triathlete Choi Suk-hyeon who took her own life due to being unable to bear continuous abuse, came forward and revealed unbelievable reality the deceased one and themselves had to go through in a press conference.

The two teammates who demanded anonymity said at the Communication Hall, National Assembly on the morning of the 6th, “The coach habitually abused Choi Suk-hyeon and other triathletes both physically and verbally. The captain also habitually, physically and verbally abused teammates and bullied them.”

Moreover, they testified that the players were forcefully fed a great deal of bread worth 200,000 KRW (approx. 167 USD) for gaining weight and beaten for eating nuts. They were also called upon to a drinking party of the coach and team doctor and beaten for eating a peach.

They also said, “We apologize to Choi Suk-hyeon and her family for silencing and our lack of courage to sue the perpetrators with her due to fear of losing our career,” and added, “We hope the perpetrators admit their misdeeds and be punished at least now.”